Fire Weather Forecast as Strong Winds Expected
By Caroline Aoyagi-Stom
With little to no rain so far this fall, extremely dry conditions combined with forecasted strong Santa Ana winds will bring an elevated risk for wildfires throughout the Southland starting Thursday morning through Saturday.
The National Weather Service is predicting wind gusts of 40 to 65 mph with some gusts reaching 70 mph in Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange counties. Southern California Edison has additional crews ready to respond to possible power outages due to the winds and potential Public Safety Power Shutoffs.
This upcoming wind event follows on the heels of strong Santa Ana winds during the Thanksgiving holiday.
“We understand that having your power turned off is a hardship, especially in the middle of a pandemic and when most folks are at home. We are working to limit the number of customers who are shutoff due to Public Safety Power Shutoffs,” said Vik Trehan, SCE director and incident commander.
“We know this is especially difficult for customers who lost power due to PSPS over the Thanksgiving holiday and who live in areas with high winds and increased wildfire threats,” he said. “These PSPS are initiated to reduce the risk of wildfires and to protect communities from wildfire danger.”
If a PSPS event occurs, power will be restored once weather conditions improve and crews have patrolled the affected circuits and deemed them safe. For updates and the latest information on PSPS, customers can visit: sce.com/PSPS.
Customers can be notified of a PSPS event by email, phone or text alert. They can also update their SCE contact information and sign up for potential PSPS alerts at sce.com/psps or by calling 800-655-4555.
Customers may report or inquire about outages at 800-611-1911. For information on outages, customers can check sce.com/outages or visit twitter.com/sce and facebook.com/sce.
SCE reminds customers that if they see a downed power line, stay away and call SCE at 800-611-1911 or call 911.
Power Outage Safety Tips
• If you see a downed power line, do not touch it or anything in contact with it. Call 911 immediately.
• Power outages in the area may impact traffic signals, so motorists should use extreme caution and treat all intersections as four-way stops.
• Remember to check emergency supplies to be sure you have a battery-operated radio, a flashlight and fresh batteries.
• Use flashlights instead of candles to avoid fire hazards in your home or business.
• If you’re in a vehicle with a fallen power line on it, stay in the vehicle and remain calm until help arrives. It is OK to use your cellphone to call 911. If you must leave the vehicle, remember to exit away from downed power lines and exit by jumping from the vehicle and landing with both feet together. You must not touch the vehicle and the ground at the same time. Then proceed away from the vehicle by shuffling and not picking up your feet until you are several yards away.
If you use a generator, place it outdoors and plug individual appliances directly into it, using a heavy-duty extension cord. Connecting generators directly to household circuits creates “backfeed,” which is dangerous to repair crews. Please consult the manufacturer’s manual for operating the generator.
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